Family of 11 year-old killed by stray bullet devastated, funeral set for Saturday
Little girl has nightmares after sister killed next to her by stray bullet
Angel, 10, was sleeping in bed next to her 11-year-old sister Asijah when a stray bullet from someone shooting outside their apartment entered their bedroom and killed her big sister. Police are still searching for Kionta Parks who they say was involved in the gang-related shooting that killed Asijah.
SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. - Loved ones of an 11-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet last week are preparing for her funeral this weekend.
According to Spalding County authorities, 11-year-old Asijah Love Jones was in bed sleeping when a bullet entered the apartment, killing her. In an interview on Monday, her father Marcus Jones told FOX 5 his heart is in pieces.
"I’m like a ship with no sail now…it’s like I’m just drifting," Jones said. "I can’t even cry, I’m so mad."
Jones described himself as feeling numb to the agonizing pain of losing his daughter Asijah to a bullet that came through her bedroom window on March 14.
The father of two says, to make the situation even worse, his 10-year-old daughter, Angel, was in bed with her sister around 1 a.m., when they heard the sound of gunfire inside the Northside Hills Apartment complex.
"My mom wanted us to crawl to her, and then Asijah didn’t come...I looked at Asijah, and then we woke her up, and she started screaming. He turned her around, and I saw all the blood…it was everywhere," the victim’s 10-year-old sister recalled of that night.
Angel told FOX 5 it is not the first shooting to happen in the complex in their time living there, but she is been having nightmares about her older sister since.
"Something just ripped out a big part of me. There’s an empty space but I’m still living," she explained.
Kionta Parks (Spalding County Sheriff's Office)
Spalding County authorities believe the shooting was gang-related. They identified the suspect as 22-year-old Kionta Parks. Parks faces a number of charges including felony murder, aggravated assault, and more. He is still on the run.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office said:
"We have no updates to share. We continue to use all resources in our search for the suspect."
Jones says, just shy of his daughter’s 12th birthday, it is difficult to see a life without her, but they are remembering Asijah’s love for video editing, her shy disposition, and her sweet spirit.
"How I’m a keep pushing forward…I don’t know," he said.
While Asijah’s mother has started a GoFundMe to cover moving costs, they are also asking anyone who can to send donations directly to Peterson Funeral Home in Griffin. Asijah’s funeral is set for Saturday. Donations can be made by calling the funeral home or send money via cash app at $PetersonsFH.
Anyone with information that can help detectives, give the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office a call.